


All That Counts

by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Face Painting, Festivals, M/M, Summer, VLD Rarepair Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 16:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11467605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticReactions/pseuds/BossToaster
Summary: Hunk and Lance get some time to themselves at a local festival





	All That Counts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sxtyr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sxtyr/gifts).



“C’mon!” Lance called, tugging Hunk around by the hand.  The sheer force of his enthusiasm had Hunk stumbling after, apologizing to all the aliens he bumped into in Lance’s wake.  “There’s something on the other side I want to check out.”

Hunk shook his head, but he was completely unable to hide the smile creeping across his face.  “Okay, okay!  I’m coming, you don’t have to yank.”  He steadied and jogged to help keep up with Lance’s enthusiastic scramble.

It was hard to see where they were going in the warm, pale lighting.  The sun had just set a few minutes ago, and the sky had just a hint of pink left on the horizon to show its passing.  Above them, three lumpy, unfamiliar moons continued their orbit around the alien planet.  Even without the sun, there was a clinging, humid heat to the air, complimented by the shrill, rhythmic chirps of insects that Hunk didn’t have a name for.

This planet had the same magical feel as a mid-summer night, including the nostalgic excitement of being out late.  Rather than being dragged back to the castle, all of the paladins had been allowed to join in on the Rinenian festival.  Booths lined the clearing, illuminated by bobbing, glowing orbs of light, lit in multiple colors.  It cast odd, sharp shadows over everything, and Hunk had to admit it looked festive.

At least, what he could see of it was.  A lot of it was a rainbow blur as Lance trotted to the far booths.

As they approached, Hunk could see what must have caught Lance’s eyes.  There were several of the Rinens gathered around one large booth, all with their faces swirled with glow-in-the-dark paint.  It was uniform between them, and Hunk suspected it had some meaning.  Mind, that meaning may well have been like little kids getting their faces painted like animals at carnivals.

It was certainly interesting to look at, and Lance tended to draw to anything bright and shiny like a moth.

Finally, Lance slowed enough for Hunk to match him.  Their fingers stayed firmly intertwined as Hunk pressed the length of their arms and shoulders together.  

“Want to get it done?”  Hunk asked.

“Yeah.  Look, they even do different colors!  We can do like our lions.”  Lance tilted his head to the side, glancing up at Hunk.  “It’ll look good on you.”

The colored lights might have hidden Hunk’s blush, but it did nothing for the way his eyes widened at the praise.  “You too.”

“Of course,” Lance replied easily, flashing him a grin.  “But those bright colors on your skin tone?  And the swirls on your face?  Gorgeous.”

Lance was doing this on purpose.  Hunk knew he was.  But he melted every time, resting his forehead on Lance’s shoulder.  “C’mon.”

“I’m just telling the truth,” Lance sing-songed.  “You’re my gorgeous, pretty boyfriend, and I want to get that face paint on you to help show you off.”  He tugged gently on their joined hands.  “C’mon, we’re burning... uh... moonlight.  Glow light?”  Pausing, Lance frowned up at the glowing balls.  “Did you catch the name of them?”

Hunk shook his head.  “No, I didn’t.  Alright, c’mon.  I only agree to this if I get to show you off too.”

“Anytime,” Lance agreed cheerfully.  He swung their hands cheerfully between them as they stepped up to the counter.

The process didn’t take long at all.  It did take the poor attendant a minute to figure out what to do with raised noses rather than just thin slits, but they applied the paint with quick, practised twists of their wrists.

There weren’t mirrors, so instead Hunk looked at Lance.  One long curl of blue snaked down his forehead and over his nose.  Two more swirls started on either side of his chin to curl right at the base of his eyes, where an Altean mark might sit.  Lance’s lids were dotted with glowing blue lines that curved with the shape like eyeliner, then curved up over his brows.

Without context it looked mostly random, except for the precision they’d applied it with.  That didn’t make it any less stunning.

Apparently Lance thought so too, because his eyes lit up and a smile split his face.  “Woah.”  He reached up, fingers barely touching the skin as they traced alongside the lines.  “See?  Gorgeous.”

“I was right too.  It looks amazing on you.”

The moment was interrupted as they were jostled by excited kids.  Pausing, Hunk realized they’d been staring and smiling at each other like idiots right in everyone’s way.  He gave a sheepish smile and grabbed Lance’s hand, leading him out from the crowd.

Now that the last of the light was gone from the sky, and since the lumpy moons didn’t reflect enough light to see by, it was only the colored balls that lit the field.  It made everyone around them seem like silhouettes, backlit by rainbow halos.  There were probably hundreds of the Rinens in the field, jostling Hunk and Lance closer together in the press of the crowd.

“Let’s find somewhere quieter,” Hunk suggested, glancing at Lance.  

Lance nodded, and the pair of them pushed through as best they could, Hunk muttering apologies under his breath as his shoulders knocked into aliens.  They were both wearing the decorative shawls the Rinens favored, but it was over their paladin armor, which wasn’t very pleasant to jam into.

Eventually they found the edge of the crowd and a sitting area.  Rather than seats and benches, a few, pale balls lit up a dozen small hammocks.  Judging by the occupants of several, they were made to be shared.

That was good with Hunk.

They squeezed together into one, which rocked with the movement of them.  But it was easy to move with, like sharing a swing together.  The soft weave tilted them to the center and pressed their arms and shoulders together, Hunk’s longer hair brushing Lance’s ear.

That was also good with Hunk.

Lance tilted his head so their temples touched, eyes up on the bobbing lights and beyond to the stars.  Stars spilled over the sky like they’d been poured out, not unlike the milky way, making a huge zag across the sky.

It was gorgeous, but Hunk found his eyes dragging away to see Lance’s profile.  The way his lips caught the light in a shine, the solid just of his nose lit up with paint, the hint of color on his eyelashes.

From the way Lance’s eyes kept flickering, he was probably having the same problem.

For a few long minutes they stayed quiet, just enjoying the peace.  The bugs still chirped and sang in the background, but it easily became background noise, like the murmurs of conversation from the crowds.  Unfamiliar, but not too unfamiliar.  Similar, but a step to the left.

Magical.

“I wish we did this more often,” Lance admitted quietly.

Hunk’s brows rose.  “Went to festivals?” He guessed.  “We’re seeing more, the more places we free.”

Shaking his head, Lance paused.  “Well, yes, I do want more parties.  Parties are awesome.  I mean this.”  He raised their joint hands, then dropped them back down.  “Go out together.  I know the team is around, but time with the two of us outside of the castle.   _ Dates.” _

“We date,” Hunk replied, but he nodded.  It wasn’t the same.  They snuck meals alone or spent an evening together, but they were always busy with something, and- well, that was routine.  This was not.

Lance didn’t bother to reply, just nodded.  “I know it’s not safe,” he admitted.  “It’s never safe.  Our lives are dangerous, and we can’t run off on every planet.  But I just- I hope the more we free the universe, the more we can do this, too.”

Squeezing back, Hunk nodded.  “Me too.”  It wasn’t why they did this, but-

Well, they worked hard.  They did  _ so much _ , and it so often went wrong.

It wasn’t wrong to want a few selfish rewards in there.  And getting to go to festivals and have a date, just the two of them, was so little to ask in the ground scheme of the universe.

“We’ll make it that way,” Hunk promised.  He twisted his head down to peck Lance on the corner of his lips.  He still tasted slightly of the sweet drinks they’d been given at dinner earlier.  “We will.”

Lance’s eyes caught the lights as they crinkled in a smile.   “Yeah.  We will.”  Taking their joined hands, Lance brought Hunk’s knuckles to his mouth and pressed a kiss there.  “I’ll do it in the name of my beautiful boyfriend.”

Laughing, Hunk used his other hand to gently push Lance’s head back.  “Oh, stop.  No.  Do it to defend the universe and all that.”

“I am, but I can do both.  I’m multidimensional like that.”  Lance pushed off the mossy ground, making the hammock swing back further.  “We both can.  We’ll do this for everyone, yeah, but we’ll do it for us, too.”

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed.  “For everyone.  We’re everyone too.”  Then he leaned forward and kissed Lance.

It was a gentle, soft press, no need for anything deep or heated just yet.  There’d be time for that later, preferably at the castle where there weren’t eyes and moss and bugs.

Instead, it made Hunk’s chest feel warm and filled with liquid gold.  It wanted to seep out of him, like the was too small to contain the bright, shimmering sensation inside.

Love.

Pulling away, Hunk smiled at him.  Lance beamed back, his hand coming up to cup Hunk’s cheek.

Then he paused.  “Oh.”

Hunk frowned back.  “What?  What’s wrong?”

Pulling his hand away, Lance showed him the glowing yellow paint smeared onto his fingers and palm.  “Oops.” Then his eyes flashed mischievously.  “It’s okay, I can fix it.”  Before Hunk could reach, he smeared his fingers onto Hunk’s jaw, trying to rub the paint back off and probably leaving glowing fingerprints.

“You’re making it worse!” Hunk protested, though he couldn’t keep the laughter out of his voice.  “Actually, you’re right, you’ve got something right-”  He leaned forward and kissed the tip of Lance’s nose. When he came back he grinned, sure his lips were stained blue.

Lance narrowed his eyes.  “Oh, two can play at that game.”

“You started- ah!”  Hunk burst into laughter as Lance downright attacked his cheeks with tiny kisses, giving an exaggerated ‘mwah’ for each one.  “Lance!”

“I’m fixing it,” Lance insisted, laughing outright now.  “I’m making it a masterpiece.”

Snickering, Hunk grabbed onto Lance’s chin, holding him in place without much effort, then pressed his nose to Lance’s and nuzzled in, jamming the tips together.  Lance get out a ticklish giggle in response and tried to shake his head, but it only made the smearing worse.

When Hunk pulled back, Lance’s nose was a mess  of green, with smears of blue and yellow along the edges.

Whoops.

Still laughing, Lance wrapped his arms around Hunk’s neck and pushed until Hunk tilted backward.  The hammock caught them, though their legs still hung off the side, and rocked gently as Lance slotted in comfortably next to him.

They both stared up at the stars again, watching the lump moons making their slow way up the sky.  “We should head back soon,” Hunk admitted.  “It’s getting close to time.”

Lance hummed his agreement.  “Not yet.”  His hand found Hunk’s again and squeezed.

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed.  “Just a little while longer.”

They didn’t get many moments like these.  Between their hectic schedule and the chaos of their lives, peace was the rare time between crises.  

So instead they found their magic where they could.

This was one of those times, and they would make it last.


End file.
